The hurry-up

I have to say I’m a little disappointed in us. I mean, like Curtis said in his post last week, these are the three most exciting weeks of the prep season. And here Chace and I are picking the exact same winners in the semifinals. Sure, we assigned different point values, but jeez.

Well, you know what they say: "Great minds think alike."My mom likes to remind me, though, that so do foolish ones. Anyway, on to my double-time picks…

6) DLS over Foothill: Two of the best coaches in the area squaring off in a semifinal makes for one heck of a game. Unfortunately for the Falcons, they like to run up the middle, and that’s where the Spartans defense will be waiting for them. Suffice it to say, the Falcons will make DLS work a little harder than James Logan did last week…5) MV over SL: This battle of unbeatens will be remarkably one-sided. The Pirates probably should have lost to Pittsburg last week. Meanwhile, the Mustangs continue to steamroll opponents. I can already feel the MV-DLS in the title game buzz starting to build.4) Miramonte over Dublin: This one is trickier than looking at the 42-16 Mats win in Week 6. The Gaels have come a long way since then. Sadly for them, so has the Miramonte defense and quarterback Chris Vasilas. I just don’t think it’s the Gaels’ year.3) Ygnacio Valley over Acalanes: Blink and you might miss it. Both of these teams love to run the ball. But the Warriors have the horses this year, and I can see a defensive struggle between YV and Miramonte for the 2A East Bay title brewing.2) Granada over Irvington: I said before the playoffs started that a No. 7 vs. No. 8 showdown for the NCS 3A East Bay title was not out of the question. In fact, I predicted that SRV would avenge a 17-14 regular-season loss to Granada and claim its second straight 3A title. I’m sticking with that, especially since Irvington narrowly escaped a loss to Alameda last week.1) SRV over LL: I shoulda known better than to pick against a Doug-Longero-led team in the first round, and the Knights made me pay for it last week with a tough win over Clayton Valley. But with the way the Wolves clicked in a dominant win over the No. 1 seed in Hayward last week, I still see the No. 8 seed as the team to beat.1) Salesian over Clear Lake: All I know about Clear Lake is that, when I was a very young boy, we went on a family vacation to Clear Lake, and the lake was anything but clear. Like Chace said, though, a long drive to face a Chieftains squad that is playing its best football should make for an even longer drive home… If I had to guess, I’d go with Salesian vs. Justin-Siena in the final.